A Different Side of Things
by OpenHearts17
Summary: Life was simple before. She was just like everyone else trying to get through high school. Well...almost. Add in two overprotective brothers, a wild best friend, and a knack for danger you'll get Haley Shepard's world. Change is good though, it's for the best...right? Takes place months before the events in the book. Reviews are appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Everyone! The Outsiders is one of my favorite classics to read so here is a little sample of an idea that I had. I know my other story 'Should've Said No' is still in the works but I wanted to get this out there for some feedback. Let me know your thoughts and if I should continue :D Disclaimer: Everything Outsiders related belongs to S.E. Hinton. I just own Haley Shepard..  
**

 ***Chapter has been edited with slight changes from the original .**

Winter:1965

The sun was barely visible through the white flakes falling from the sky. Every rooftop matched the blankets of snow that covered the ground, and the usual warm Oklahoma air was now a brisk cold. Standing on the front steps of Will Rodgers High school, I tucked my new coat tighter around my shoulders thankful for it's warmth in the freezing temperatures. Two weeks before the temperatures started dropping, I briefly mentioned to my brother that it was getting colder and my old coat of four years had finally been ruined last December. Apparently Tim took the hint because two weeks later Curly came home with my new coat in hand. Granted if it came from him it was probably stolen, but it's the thought that counts right?

"Hey there little Shepard. Whatcha doin' out in the cold?" Two-bit Matthews moved to stand beside me his fists jammed in his pockets the usual lazy grin covering his face. I didn't exactly have many friends growing up with the Shepards for family, but I like to think of Keith Matthews as my friend. Sure, he was a bit older than me and we didn't exactly hang out much, but I think he understood me a lot better than anyone else ever did."Waiting on Curly, he was supposed to pick me up an hour ago." Two-bit must have sensed the annoyance in my tone because he gave me a light pat on the shoulder. "Shoot, you ain't ever gonna make it home waitin' on him! Come on We'll take ya home that way Timmy won't freak."

I had to smile at that comment. Even Two-bit knows how Tim can get. We trudged through the snow towards a Chevy I'd seen plenty of times before. One that could only belong to one person. "So Stevie we gotta swing by and drop off some precious cargo to Mr. Timothy Shepard. Kiddo here says Curly never showed."

Steve Randle was one of the best mechanics in town. He was extremely talented under a hood, but was known for his bad temper. His dark black hair was greased back like always but he wasn't wearing a coat. The tip of Steve's nose was red from the cold and he looked very agitated."Whatever can we go already! I'm freezing out here." He spoke as if he was already annoyed and I couldn't help wondering what gave him such a short fuse. Two bit held open the passenger side door for me. "After you m'lady." I climbed in uneasy about sitting in the front with Steve, as Pony boy Curtis hopped in the car with Johnny Cade right behind. "Oh hey Haley."

"Hi Pony, hey Johnny." The dark haired boy gave me a nod remaining silent and I turned back in my seat to face the dashboard. Two-bit was chattering about a tiny soc that tried to pick a fight with him at lunch but got scared before Two-bit could hit him. His feet hit the back of my seat while he spoke and Steve kept giving him irritated glares through the rear-view mirror before snapping at Two-bit to quit that.

Funny thing was it didn't seem to dampen his mood, he just kept on talking the words leading him into other stories he wanted to tell. I could see Pony and Johnny talking quietly in the background my mind drifting to thoughts of what it would be like to have a best friend like that. Curly told me once that he thought Pony was a 'cool kid.' something about them burning each other with cigarettes when they were younger. He also said Pony never went anywhere without Johnny. That's the thing with the Curtis's, they weren't a gang. All of them were just a big family. "Your house is on Redwood right?" _What? Steve Randle knows where I live?_ "Uh yeah 3rd house on the left." My hands were getting clammy and I didn't know if it was from the weather, or nerves. Like I said before I didn't have many friends but I hung out with people outside of the gang even less. This was new for me.

"Well it looks like Mr. Shepard is in the building!" Two-bit chuckled pointing to the car sitting in the driveway. "Thanks Two-bit. And thanks you Steve." I called through the window waving goodbye to Pony and Johnny. By the time I reached the front steps the Chevy pulled away and I entered the house. "Tim! She's here!" Frank Campbell was laying on our couch drinking a beer and barely glanced at me when I entered. Mom wasn't home yet so I assumed Tim had brought the gang here to wait for rounded the corner looking at me expectantly. I raised my hands in surrender. "Curly never showed up." Better start with the important facts. With Tim you always had to get straight to the point. "I know, but I told you not to walk." ' _Uh-Oh...'_

"Two-Bit brought me home. It's too cold outside to walk. You eat yet?" Potatoes and rice seemed easy enough to fix for dinner. "Matthews? That's about as dangerous as walkin' home. Why didn't you call?" ' _So this is how it's going to be. Great!'_ "I didn't know you'd be home. It ain't like you ever answer the phone anyway. For your information Steve drove us. It was his car." Tim groaned in frustration and I started chopping the potatoes setting the rice into a pan for warming. Was he really gonna try and find something to yell at me for? "Look I got home in one piece no thanks to our brother but I'm here and I'm tired. I don't wanna fight with you."

Tim turned away so his back was towards me heading out the front door calling over his shoulder, "Do your homework." Three words that I heard all to often. It wasn't like he had to remind me to do my homework. My grades were impeccable. It's just Tim's way of dismissing me when he doesn't wanna talk anymore. Things were always the same, but I had hope. Today was a little different. Today was a change.

I think I could get used to this.

 **There it is my readers! The one and only Haley Shepard! I like where it's going so far and I have a few more ideas so let me know what you think! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey people! Special shout-out to Haleymay for being the first to review! It means a lot to hear feedback from all of you especially that you like the story so far. In response to Ndigloy, all I can tell you is Angela will make an appearance later on in the story. :D Disclaimer: All characters except Haley Shepard belong to S.E. Hinton. Hope you enjo _y._ **

The nights were never a favorite time of mine. It's as if when it's time to sleep my mind decides to run wild. So when I woke up this morning completely exhausted, coffee was necessary. The clock read 9:24 A.M. as I flipped on the television Clyde Hardy the Channel 2 weather man greeted viewers with a prediction for the weather today of, 'cloudy with a chance of rain' but by 3 PM expect, 'Things to start heating up!' Typical Oklahoma weather. As Clyde finished his report I heard a knock on the front door which was strange. Nobody ever knocks on our door.

"Hi Haley." Ponyboy Curtis stood on my front porch looking nervous as hell, wearing an expression that would suggest he had just seen a ghost. "Hey Ponyboy...What's going on?" This was more new. More unfamiliar territory I wasn't sure I was ready for yet. "You left this in Steve's car yesterday." He held out my Chemistry book and I took it quickly holding it against my chest. "Wow thank you so much really I can't believe I left it." He just saved my hide. I still had three chapters that I needed to read before Monday's class. "It's cool.."

The silence was awkward and our conversation was going nowhere. I didn't know if I was supposed to invite him in or keep thanking him. "So...?" He looked at me and then to the road. "I guess I should go, Johnny's waiting for me." _'Say Something you idiot! Here's your shot at making a friend!'_ He climbed down the steps and got further and further away from me before I could finally spit the words out. "Ponyboy hold on a second!" _'Oh no what did I just do?'_ He looked back at me with a questioning gaze obviously surprised by my outburst. _'Speak before he thinks your a lunatic!'_ "We ran out of coffee so I was gonna go grab some... did you and Johnny wanna come? I mean if you're too busy-"

"Are you kidding?" he was laughing now and I sighed stepping back into my doorway. I knew it. Of course I just embarrassed myself. "If I go home right now I have to mow the whole backyard and repaint the shed. Breakfast is a great idea. I'm sure Johnny wouldn't mind either. Come on let's go." I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. My hand grabbed the doorknob shutting it behind me and I followed him out to the road. "We're gonna go to the dingo for breakfast Johnny." Pony told him casually as we walked along the road. "Hi Johnny." He looked up at me and a small smile came across his face. "Hey Haley."

The Dingo was a place all the North Side kids went often. It was one of the only places that Socs never dared to step foot in. It was popular, one of the reasons why I was now very nervous as we stepped inside the diner. I knew very well how things worked on our side of town with my brother. Everybody wanted to be in his 'Good Graces' so it was only a matter of time until someone told him they saw me here. Now wasn't the time to freak out about Tim, I was making some friends for me. A waitress danced by us with a plate of eggs and bacon holding them up over our heads."Go ahead and grab a table kids I'll be with ya in just a sec." I could feel the eyes of some people starting to stare and I forced myself to ignore them snagging a table away from the windows.

"Is it really alright for you to hang out with us?" Johnny's question startled me and I was about to answer when the waitress appeared at the table. "Okay kids what'll it be?"

"Can I get a cup of coffee, 2 sugars please." She smiled at me, her curly blonde hair falling forward and the thin glasses she wore slid down her nose while she wrote down the order. She looked at Johnny next for his order but he looked at Pony his cheeks tinting red. "Two root beers and some bacon please." Pony spoke up for him and my thoughts from the day before returned about how nice it would be to have a friend like they are to each other. She left the table and I decided to answer Johnny's earlier question. "I'm turning over a new leaf. Doing things for me now." Pony grinned at me his grey eyes dancing with laughter. "What?"

"Tim doesn't know you're here does he?" My cheeks flushed with embarrassment and I could feel the heat rising but could only imagine how red my face was now. "Is it that obvious?" Did everyone know how controlling my brother was? "Nah not to anyone else but I got an older brother too. I know what it's like. If I didn't have Johnny and Soda I'd probably go crazy." That was the moment I realized how much I wanted to be a part of their world. The waitress returned with my coffee and their food before she rushed off to clean up some broken glass at another table. "Tim doesn't own me, I guess I just want him to realize I'm not another person in his gang. I want him to recognize me as his sister."

"Oh he knows. Trust me he knows. Right Johnny?" I looked between them suddenly very confused . Johnny spoke up again, "Tim came over once a while back after he was drinking at Buck's. We overheard him talking to Darry about you and Curly."

 _'Okay? What does that mean? Since when did Tim hang out at the Curtis house._ ' Before I could get a further explanation from the two boys they changed the subject talking about a new movie that would be released soon. Ponyboy and Johnny carried the conversation while I simply added a few yes and no's once in a while. My mind distracted by the conversation from earlier. "Haley?" My head snapped up to find them staring at me. I tried to recall the last I heard of their conversation but with no such luck my only option was to ask, "What?"

"I was saying that I should probably go home now before Darry gets back, you want us to walk you home first?" Pony stood tossing cash on the table and me and Johnny followed him outside of the diner. "That's right you had to paint..." The rocks rolled under our feet as we walked and for a while only our footfalls could be heard. "Hey Pony I'm pretty good with a paint brush, maybe I could help?" _'Oh crap what did I just do?! I can't believe I just said that?!'_ He looked surprised but changed direction and just like that we were headed to the Curtis house.

 _'Oh boy. What have I gotten myself into?'._

 ** _There it is! Chapter 2! This was more of a preparation for the next few chapters but I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think :D_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey readers! So I've been on a writing spree lately and as we get into the story I am excited to hear your reactions as the chapters are posted. This is Chapter 3, and I hope you enjoy!**

"Okay so you straight out told her to stick it where the sun don't shine?!" I was keeled over in the grass giggling like a maniac. Pony was chuckling and even Johnny cracked a smile. We were about half way done with painting the shed, but Pony's story had us all distracted. "It's just unbelievable. I didn't think you had it in you Ponyboy." He blushed and raised his hands up in defense. "She was being mean to Soda I had to!" Edna Andrews taught History to freshman and sophomores. She was not only the oldest teacher at Will Rodgers, but she was definitely the meanest. She had these dark beady eyes that could burn holes through anyone and everyone. Her wrinkly skin curled around the constant frown on her face and the only feature that stood out was her sharp pointed nose. She was the definition of mean. Once when she caught Curly eating cookies in her class she smacked him so hard with a rod that he still has a scar on his hand. I think the other teachers are afraid of her to, that has to be the only reason why no one has fired her yet. Pony, and I were sophomores on opposite schedules but we both still had to endure Ms. Andrews for three more months. Johnny was only in his freshman year. He wasn't quite as lucky. "I think we can all agree its time for her to retire."

I stood up catching my breath after laughing so hard and glanced at pony who was grinning too and Johnny was smiling the brightest I'd ever seen. This is what it's like to have friends. Those two boys were letting me in to their world and I couldn't be more grateful.

"Well I'll be damned." _'Crap!'_ The paint brush slipped from my fingers and landed with a thud in the grass. The red paint splattered onto the bottoms of my jeans but I turned around slowly plastering a smile on my face. There was no way I could run now, he had seen me for sure. "Hello Dallas." He was wearing that smirk that made you just want to smack him. A lot of people feared him, but I didn't. Tim Shepard was my brother, I practically grew up with Dallas. Which meant there was one thing I knew for sure, Dallas Winston could keep his mouth shut... if he wanted to. "Hey Dal." Johnny greeted and he briefly lowered his eyes to where Johnny was sitting in the grass. "Hey Johnny, kid." Ponyboy said a brief hello, but Dally's eyes returned to me and I suddenly felt very out of place. Thankfully Two-bit came out of the backdoor with a beer in hand, Darry Curtis following close behind. I noticed that Ponyboy seemed to get a little antsy when he saw Darry, but he just continued to paint as they approached. "Hi there Miss Haley! Whatcha doin' hanging out with these bozos?!" Two bit cracked up laughing as if he had just said the funniest thing ever. "How many of those have you had two-bit?"

"Just five or six?" We all laughed at that one and Darry stuck out his hand to me. "Hi Haley good to have you here." I smiled back at him happy that he didn't mind my presence. It wasn't the first time I'd met Darry Curtis. There was a few times when I was smaller and had to tag along places with Tim that he would stop to talk to the oldest Curtis. I saw his eyes drift downward and realized he was eying my pant bottoms. "Ponyboy I hope you weren't makin' Haley and Johnny do your chores." The warning in his tone made Ponyboy stiffen and he snipped back his answer, "No. I'm almost done." I looked away not wanting to intrude on their moment to find Dallas and two-bit wrestling on the floor. They weren't fighting. Not like the way Tim's boys messed around. I liked that.

Darry went inside to make dinner and Pony told me to go get myself a drink while he and Johnny clean up. I felt kinda bad leavin' them to pick up the mess but he said it was cool they could manage. Two-bit had given up on wrestling Dallas and they were discussing Sylvia and his latest battle. Sylvia was the definition of a greaser girl. Both my brothers had warned me that if I ever so much as tried anything she pulled they would have my hide. She wasn't really someone I wanted to be like anyhow.

I lingered in the doorway of the kitchen for a second until Darry looked up from the stove. "You can watch some TV if you want.." I bit my lip internally chastising myself for being so awkward. "Can I help you?" He smiled like I had said something ridiculous. "You're a guest and from what I saw you been helping Pony all day. Let me take this one."

"You sure? I'm usually the one doing the cookin' I guess I just ain't used to this is all." He looked at me with a sense of understanding, and he probably knew I wasn't just referring to being cooked for. He chopped vegetables for the stew motioning for me to come inside more. "I get it, We try to be fair with the chores around here. Except for the cooking, Soda hardly gets to cook. Otherwise we'd be eating rainbow colored food!" He cracked a smile tossing the dishes into the sink. "You should stay for dinner Haley, we'd love to have you."

Before I cold accept his offer their front door swung open and the dynamic duo tumbled in. Darry and I watched Sodapop leap up giving a dramatic gasp. "They said it was true but I just couldn't believe it!" He started in on me but I had no idea what he was talking about. "I told 'em Steve. Didn't I tell them!"

"You sure did buddy." Steve leaned up against the wall smirking. I cracked asking them finally what they wanted to hear. "Told who what?"

"There was no way THE Haley Shepard was at MY house! Said I had to see it with my own eyes but it is true!" My cheeks grew warm but that just made him smile even more, and start speaking in a dramatic voice. "I am so completely honored, Darrel! Have you no decency?! Our guest doesn't have a drink!" Darry lunged at him taking a playful swipe, and Steve mirrored me with an amused expression. Their relationships had me thinking about my family, and how different we were.

Tim and Curly have always been the only constants in my life. Tim had a different father than me n' Curly, but our dad left when I was four. Mom kind of lost her grip on reality because she spent the next five years lookin' for him. I remember every time she'd go away her telling us, _'If you want something you gotta fight for it. It ain't just gonna happen on it's own.'_ I guess Tim took her words literally, because when he turned 15 he got a couple of guys following him. It didn't take long until everyone knew his name, and for people to figure out he was not to be messed with. I guess after 5 years she finally gave up on tryin' to find him because she started bringing home guys. I know what you're thinking. Some role model huh? One of them stuck around more than the others though. His name was Jack, she said he _'Helps me forget'_ I didn't like him though, together they would drink way to much and fight way to often. When I turned eleven Tim kicked him out of the house. Jack had drank way to much and blackened my eye. I needed eight stitches from a beer bottle to the head.

"Haley?" Ponyboy stood in front of me holding two glasses of juice. "Dinners ready, come on. Let's eat." I sat between Ponyboy and Darry with Two-bit across the table. They shoved at one another filling their plates with food until Darry cleared his throat. "Guys manners. There's a lady present." He reprimanded and Two-bit snorted. "Its okay Darry. My brothers are way worse, ain't nothin' I haven't seen before."

"Ya Dar! Like Curly's got any manners!" Two-bit kicked me under the table lightly grinning at his own joke. His eyes danced with delight, and he didn't need alcohol to look like that. "So Haley, you do pretty good in school yeah?"

I took a sip of my drink slowly. "I'm alright I guess."

"Are you looking at colleges yet?" Ponyboy sighed beside me but I continued to talk to Darry. "Um yeah, I'm considering a few. Langston, Platt, and U of O. I'll probably end up at U of O though. Everything's still up in the air."

"Isn't Platt and University of Oklahoma the ones you were looking at Pony?" Soda pop spoke up at the end of the table. "Those are real good schools. You got some time still but it's good to start lookin' now."

I wanted to stay in that moment forever. The moment when someone cared enough to ask me how my day was, or what my plans where. It was as if things were finally looking up for me. My luck had changed. Then again, what goes up always comes tumbling down...right?

 **So I've had this chapter written, but when the site was down it got deleted. I tried my best with rewriting it the way it was originally. Anyways I hope you liked it, and reviews are always appreciated. :)**


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